Michael Robinson plays reporter when he’s not playing football

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Do not mistake for ignorance Michael Robinson’s stance on sports reporting.

The man has a degree in broadcast journalism from Penn State, after all. So when the Seahawks fullback voices his opinion about what he views as a fundamental flaw in the way sports are covered, he is doing so with a wealth of knowledge — and respect for the business — firmly in hand.

“I love responsible reporting,” Robinson said after a Seahawks practice earlier this week. “I think guys like Alan Breer, (Jason) La Canfora (both of the NFL Network), they do a great job of it. Reporting facts. Not claiming to be an expert and giving analysis. That’s not what you do. You have no idea what it is to be in the fourth quarter, game on the line and you throw an interception, you know what I mean? I think the analytic part of it needs to be handled by guys who have actually been in those positions, who have actually been on the field and played.”

Well, if you want something done right …

That’s part of the reason why Robinson decided to go ahead and start covering football himself, launching during the summer an online program called “The Real Robinson Report,” spawned from a segment he recorded as a rookie in San Francisco dubbed “The Rookie Report.”

The show’s motto: By athletes, for the fans.

As a first-year player in 2006, Robinson would walk the 49ers locker room during practice and after games, pulling his teammates aside for playful interviews that he later uploaded to the Internet.

It’s a way to combine his passion and skills for journalism with his chosen profession as a football player. Robinson’s first degree, a bachelor’s in public relations, was earned in 2004 after three years at Penn State. Then he picked up the broadcast journalism degree in 2005.

“The Rookie Report” didn’t accompany Robinson to Seattle when the Seahawks signed him prior to the start of the 2010 season. But this year’s lockout produced a whole lot of down time, which got Robinson thinking.

Why not cover the lockout?

Scan the show’s website, and you’ll see a handful of offseason interviews with professional athletes — not just NFL players — conducted by Robinson and produced into a nice package with music and everything. He talked to Donovan McNabb about his offseason. He talked to Beanie Wells about the NCAA violations at Ohio State. He talked to Amare Stoudemire about the (then) possibility of an NBA lockout.

Robinson’s goal, ultimately, is to have a correspondent on every NFL team. He had the wife of Cardinals offensive tackle Levi Brown help him out with an Arizona training camp preview, and former Cardinals tight end Adam Bergen chipped in with an interview of New York Mets first baseman Ike Davis.

Robinson, who lives in Arizona during the offseason, said his dad offers assistance with the program, and also has one other friend who helps with video editing and production.

“We’re still looking for sponsors and advertisers,” Robinson said, “but someday, I want this to be something big.”

For more Seattle Seahawks news, visit the front page of the Seattle Seahawks blog.